Over the summer of 2023, Bridgewater-Raritan High School student Sharon Lin participated in a retreat  sponsored  by the Paideia Institute in a two-week program that allowed her to be fully immersed in Latin and its surrounding culture.

With all of the languages offered at Bridgewater-Raritan High School, there are a plethora of reasons why a student may choose the language they are currently studying. Most are given the opportunity to have a new language to speak, a culture to be immersed in and future opportunities. However, Latin is one of the more “forgotten” languages in terms of utility. 

Despite the in-depth culture studies and complex grammatical structures that the class explores, the language never seems to be able to escape the “dead” connotation most students deem it with.

However, the BRHS senior was given the opportunity to speak the language and explore it in the heart of Rome. 

Unique to this experience, Lin, along with the 40 or so peers who accompanied her, were able to speak and communicate within the Latin language. Another part of her experience lay in being able to visit the real and ancient structures of the archaeological sites that she learned about through both her instructors in the program and that is frequently discussed in class at the high school. 

Currently, Lin is enrolled in the AP Latin course, and while no longer part of the program, she commented on why students should take Latin.

“If you actually want to learn Latin, you should do it because it is interesting to you,” she said.

She affirmed that a student’s journey through a language is unique to them. Even with this unique opportunity, where she was able to apply what she had learned in a real-world setting, it was important for her to recognize that a language is above all a personal journey, and by deeming its importance based on its practicality, you are removing from it the intricacies of culture and community.